


No Obligation in Saving You

by Sonicblu



Series: Stockholm Syndromes [3]
Category: Call of Duty Black Ops IV
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Conflict, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Love/Hate, Manipulation, Mind Games, Minor Violence, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24125071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sonicblu/pseuds/Sonicblu
Summary: Sequel of "Just Be Honest"Seraph and you become closer, not in the way that you've been expecting.As much as you like this, you also know her too well to see the upcoming problems.
Relationships: He Zhen-Zhen/Reader
Series: Stockholm Syndromes [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011996
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	No Obligation in Saving You

After receiving the new collar, you became more joyful than usual. Who wouldn’t, finally being able to stretch their neck muscle out properly. The amount of sleep you were lacking because of that bulker, making you lose concentration during working hours. Also, Seraph has been ‘nicer’ to you lately. Not only did she keep her promise of giving you a room, she sometimes dropped by to bring you a new book. Lim also noticed how well you performed, and of course, that new shining “necklace”. His eyes bugged out the moment he noticed something slick black wrapping around that delicate neck of yours.

”Oh my god, she’s marking you!”

You startled at the comment, almost rip off the report in your hands in half. Eyes widen, you blinked confusedly, trying to play it cool.

”What?”

”She’s marking you! You’re her pet!” Lim pretended to be surprised, but his eyes spoke satire.

You left out a frustrated groan. Glancing over the guard, who still had his back facing both of your desks. The guard seemed to be very focused on whatever was happening outside the window. Looking behind you, Chu Li’s top head was visible. The bitch was concentrating on finishing her paper, or else she would have something to say about this. How convenient that no one paid attention to this weird conversation you two were having. Too convenient.

”It’s an IED collar, Lim. The thing that explodes?”You pointed your index fingers on the flashing red, indicating a battery size of explosive hidden underneath. “If she wants to keep me, it wouldn’t be with a bomb.”

”Yeah, it screams ‘Don’t touch my stuff’. Clearly she wanted to scare off all the boys.” Lim tutted, pouting his lips and shaking his head sarcastically. “Honestly, I would be 500m away from you if we haven’t met before.”

”Please proceed to fuck off right now.” You tilted your head towards the nearest exit, shoulder shrugged. “Come on. Go.”

You shooed him like a stray dog, struggling to keep this unwanted attention. On the contrary, Lim moved his seat an inch closer to your cube. He was even kind enough to repeat the process, clearly to annoy the hell out of you. The man leaned down, hands cupped on his own face, looking like some cute high-schooler with those sparkling eyes.

”And miss the best drama show? Nah I like my seat.” He left out a playful chuckle, and wiggled the eyebrows. “Oh fuck!”

Lim squinted. He noticed something afar. The man whispered in panic, before immediately moving straight back to his desk. Shuffling papers and punching numbers on a calculus on the right side, pretending to be busy. You were puzzled by his sudden change, before hearing some heavy footsteps coming closer. You averted the attention from your friend to move it to your left. The guard who was so focused on the window, now standing right next to your desk.

”You, and 054. Go to the administration building. Bring the files with you.” He swung the barrel like it was some toy, which jolted you and Lim. “Hurry up!”

”Okay, okay!” You quickly gathered all the sticky notes, scribbling papers and just shoved them all on to a tall plastic paper container.

Both of you began to stand up from the desk, files underneath the arm. The guard remained his nasty gazes at the two of you, using the barrels to push you forward. The awkward silence fills the hallway, with only the heavy treads of military boots, a swift clomping of your high-tops and the faint touch from Lim’s trainers. More guards were being fixated on the hall, standing still like an English officer outside Buckingham Palace. You were curious how they could stand so still, like knight statues. It took all of the fiber in your being to not boop their noses, and possibly get pinned down to be executed right on the spot.

”Just between you and me.” Lim whispered cautiously next to you. “We haven’t been able to receive new dairy deliveries lately. Our stocks are running low.”

“Dairy product? Like milk?” You were surprised.

”Milk, yogurt, cream, butter, cheese etc you named it. The choices of food are quite limited without them, even when it’s already shitty.” Lim stole a glance at the guards behind them. He lifted up a smile at the grunting guard when their eyes met. “I think that’s why they called us.”

”I-I don’t get it.” You gave him the wild eyes.

“My theory is, somebody played us.” He bobbed his head. “Well, somebody played them. Cutting off the supply route.”

You snorted at the statement. “Who the fuck is crazy enough to do that?”

In response, Lim shrugged. “We’ll see.”

You were halt onto a stop when the door to the administration room was opened. Inside, a group of high ranking officers surrounding the table. They were talking over each other, screaming, banging hands on the surface. In the middle of the chaos, you saw Seraph. She sat quietly like a statue. The Enforcer crossed her hands, hiding the tired sigh behind. Her eyes were glowing annoyance towards these idiots who were throwing words across the room. You noticed she was closing her eyes a few times, being so done with this chaos. When they saw the two of you, the noise gradually settled down, leaving only shuffling noise. Seraph caught your figure among the crowd. You were holding tight onto the folder, hands covering lips, whispering something back at Lim. You didn’t spot the piercing glare, the furrowing of her brows, the gripping firsts as she slammed both hands down.

**”THAT’S ENOUGH!”**

The orotund shout made everyone pause in their motion. You were frozen for a solid 4 seconds, before turning the attention back to her.

“This is a fuckin waste of time! I did not call you all here just to hear the shouting back and forth! If you can’t even cooperate with each other, then LEAVE!”

The word came out like a dragon breathing fire. You were sure at least one or two near her had pissed their pants, or at least shaken inside. After the impressive speech, Seraph slummed back down to her seat. People began to clear throats, and adjusted their uniform, before sitting down onto their chair.

”So-” One of the officers looked towards Lim, the finance guy. “How much do we have in stock, uh, you?”

“Ehm…” Caught off guard with the question, Lim frantically swiping through his messy reports and notes. “-Ju-just one moment, please! Shit, that’s not it…”

He put the folder down on the table and opened the case. Rummaging each piece of paper, he became more and more anxious, hands trembling under the pressure.

”Not this one, fuck!” Lim began to mumble, voice cutting out from the panting, hands moving back and forth along the table. “Dairy dairy dairy dairy, nope. Fuck where is it????”

”Hey hey hey, it’s okay!” You placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to pacify Lim. A few pats seemed to calm him down a bit. “What are you looking for? I can help you. Any specific words?Numbers? Something like that?”

“Okay, okay, it should be saying-ughhh..” He was racking his brain out, closing hands into fists, trying to think. “- it’s number, it’s….DA54-5.”

”Alright. Is it on top left, right or bottom?” You began to ransack the stack he gave you.

”Top right, top right! Just below a bit.”

”What the fuck is this!? These incompetent idiots can’t even organize their work properly.” One of the officers threw hands at you, which made poor Lim panicking even more. “ Are you fucking kidding me!?”

”Settle down, soldier!” Seraph raised her voice at the impatient man. “You didn’t seem to mind wasting my time with all the yelling earlier, so beat it!”

”But Enforcer I-”

”FOUND IT!” Lim raised the paper in the air as a victory pose. “Here, sir…and madam.” He gave it to the nearest officer, who yanked the paper rudely off him.

Everyone else began to push their head in, pretend to call out fake analysis. They were all just stating all the facts and numbers on the paper, without inputting something actually useful.

”I estimated we have around 2 weeks, given the usual usage we do, before completely running out of the dairy product.” Lim began to play with his fingers, looking to you for reassurance. In return, you gave him a heartfelt grin and a gentle pat on the back.

”Of all kinds?” Seraph burrowed her sullen eyes.

”Yes...”

”Fucking troublesome.” Seraph rubbed her temples. “ Officer Javier, Officer Keefe, you go with 054 to the storage room. Officer Darryl and Chong Yeow, investigate the route. Bring a team if you need to. I’ll be here with 031, waiting for the interrogation room to get ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

”Of course, Enforcer.”

The first two grabbed Lim by his upper arms forcefully. Lim was staggered and confused of being dragged out without further explanation. You couldn’t do anything much for the friend except waving him goodbye. The other two also packed up their bags and walked out of the door. What was a full room before now only held two of you. The silence once again took over inside the chamber. Seraph gave out a tired sigh, hands tapping on the table. She then turned her gaze towards you, who was then by her side.

”Bad day, Commander?” You gave her a sympathetic smile, while sorting out the files. It would be too cruel to harass her, even when the Enforcer was a cunt.

“These fucking morons… They couldn’t even bother to patrol more properly.” The Enforcer leaned back to her seat. She trailed her vision down to where your hands were, seeing the little cuts still visible from your previous labour work.

“You and Lim seemed to be close.”

You were surprised at the sudden statement. It caused the scribbling to stop. “Well, we are friends. That’s for sure. I wouldn’t say we are besties, but you know, everyone else is a jerk.”

”That’s too close, Little Mouse.” Seraph left out a small annoyed grunt, eyes still fixated on your fingers. You had a hunch she wanted to take them, like how she always did whenever she felt like having physical contact with you.

Hearing the nickname made you bounce inside. It was kinda thrilling, having these secret names that could only be whispered when alone. You had the urge to pick one for her as well, but the logical part of your brain managed to stop before you pushed it too far.

“Are you jealous, Commander?” You tilted your head down to look at the same level as her. Leaving out a soft chuckle, your hand placed on top of hers, feeling the heat coming out from the palm. “Don’t worry, you’re still my favourite.”

“I want you to stop talking to him.” Seraph spoke curtly. It was a demand, not a plea. Her hands interlaced tightly with yours, unwilling to let go.

You looked disbelief as this unreasonable order, even scoffed at her.

“Look, Seraph. Just because we kissed _ONCE,_ doesn’t mean you own me.” Your voice came out harsh, but there was no hint of sarcasm. “I know you’re raised to take whatever you want but this is me we’re speaking. I’m a living human being, with thoughts and emotions. You can’t control my life.”

The Enforcer slit her eyes towards you. However, you didn’t back off. This was important to you. Even when you were following Seraph’s orders before, this was the one thing you kept You just stared at her for a while, before turning away to the ceilings.

”You know the last people who tried to oversee my life, I destroyed their legacy.”

Seraph left a scornful smirk at your sentence, almost burst out laughing. She found it hard to believe a small girl could do any harm to a military organization. Pulling you towards her side, the Enforcer had you sitting on top of her arm rest. The left arm then wrapped around your waist, making it impossible to run away.

”Is that what you’re gonna do? Wrecking i54 if I decide to tie you up in a corner?” She asked sarcastically, completely forgot to edit the words, before it came out of her lips.

”Ehm…” You were shocked at the question. Well, more likely the context of the question. “Was that really your plan? That’s quite…perverted.”

”What? Oh..” The Enforcer just realized her mistake, but it was too late. “You know what I meant.”

Stunned, you remained frozen by looking at her. There was a part inside you that just wanted to be sadistic to this woman, to teach her a lesson. Then there was another part whispering quietly, asking you to show her what gentleness really looked like.

“Honestly…” With a swift graze, your hand was hovering next to her hair. Tenderly, you stroke the strands, feeling tethering softness of them. “As much as I like you, you need to ask for my consent. I respect you, and I want you to do the same with me.”

Seraph left out a low groan, averting her eyes away from your figure. She was about to say something, but you stopped her by placing a finger on her lips.

”Stop. You know how I feel. All I ask is trust. Trust me when I say that there’s nothing between me and Lim.”

You took a deep breath, struggling to compose yourself inside. You gazed into her dark hazelnuts eyes. The intense stare she returned, as if she was peeling you off layers by layers. You slowly opened your lips again.

“Trust me when I told you that I adored you, even when you're fucked up. I’m not sure if it’s some kind of Stockholm Syndrome or what, but I do appreciate your acknowledgement of my…special skills. And I do enjoy being around you, sometimes.”

Seraph chuckled at the final statement. “Not all the time? Didn’t you say I was your favourite, Xiao Lao Shu?” She seemed to have softened down her aggression after your touch.

You frowned at her joke, only to relax the tension between your brows. The hand that was stroking Seraph’s hair now trailed down to feel the roughness on the Enforcer’s skin. Tiny scars and dry suctions, creating bumps to touch with your delicate hand.

”Look, Seraph, I need you to stop monitoring me 24/7. I know you stuck your neck out to save my life multiple times. But please, keep your distance. The Generals, the guards...” You shook your head disappointingly. “…Even Lim starting to question our little ‘pet-owner’ relationship. Everybody begins to notice.”

”You’re MY pet.”The Enforcer lifted her face up, eyes glowered with anger towards the side of your face. Her raucous voice spoke authority.

”I am NOT, Commander!” You were truly upset, gritting teeth through the speech. “This little role-play that we have is merely a foundation of what we truly are. Just as much as you cared about my safety, I am now concerned for yours. So please, keep your pride in check!”

The woman leaned back to her chair. The grasp around your waist became loosen, as she stared at you unbelievably. She reached her hand up to lightly tug the collar around your neck, as a reminder.

”That’s a lot of demanding, coming out from a slave.” Seraph grunted harshly.

”You know what!? Fine!“ You left out an offensive scorn, shaking your head disappointingly. “If you don’t want to then there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m taking a risk here by pouring my heart out! The least you could do is listen!”

Yanking off the hand that was pulling your IED, you tried to straighten your back to stand up from Seraph’s arm rest. Folders and files gripped tight under your arm, as you were ready to move into a corner of the room. You didn’t care which corner, you just wanted to be further away from her as possible.

”Wait!”

The heavy breathing came out from your lips. Your face felt hot from the anger boiling inside. You were too mad to even look back, despite being held back by Seraph. You could hear low growling, as Seraph struggled.

”Let me go, Commander.”

”I’ll do it.”

The reply caught you by surprise. Eyes widened, you immediately turned back to face her.

”What?”

“Just this once. Just for a while, I’ll do it.” She begrudgingly agreed with the “contract”.The grasp became tighter when she continued the next sentence.“But don’t expect to order me around.”

”I wouldn’t dare.” You observed her behavior, seeking for ingenuity. She seemed to be honest at least. Sighing a relief, you nodded lightly. “You made the right choice.”

”Hmph.” Seraph puffed, obviously still upset about this circumstance. Like a little kid, she frowned, left arm pulling you back to her seat. “What’s your proposal on our situation?”

You started humming, getting yourself into the train of thoughts.

“I suppose you can cut down the time you come by the office. If you do, make sure it’s jobs related and not just, calling me out randomly. The nickname too. I noticed you tried to avoid them when we’re in public.” A soft chuckle passing through your lips. “That’s good, being called a rat isn’t so bad anymore, though it still offends me. I’ll do better on my…end- as…well…”

You were too focused to feel a hand creeping up on your back. It started as a light brush against your shirt, before the hand grew closer to the scars. Seraph began to rub it up and down in a circular motion, eyes still glued to the reports you had in your hands. It felt like she was mapping out the lines running along your back, attempting to memorize it. The strokes varied from soft to fast, which made it nearly impossible for you to concentrate on your speech. It was one of unusual things about Seraph that you couldn’t fully understand. She just suddenly became so gentle at times, afraid if she clutched too hard you would break or something. You struggled to continue the speech, sometimes letting out soft pants. The sensation was clear like daylight, clouding your mind. Was she messing with you?

”Anyway, I think we should…mostly see each other during service hours….like when you need me to intervie-”

”Did it hurt?” The Enforcer asked while averted her gaze to your face, with her left hand still circulating around your lower back. “I’m feeling a lot of bumps here, even through your shirt.”

You paused for a moment, staring right back at her hazelnut eyes.

”Oh…Tremendously.” Replying with a grimace chuckle, which almost sounded like a faint weep. “But what’s painful the most is probably the people who did it to me.”

You expected her to ask the ‘who’ question. However, to your surprise she didn’t.

”Did you let Lim touch it?”

Another unexpected question.

”Uhm.” You knew if the answer is yes Seraph would be pissed. “No, we weren’t that close.” Eyes peeled back to the papers, you pretended to examine future interviewees. Technically it wasn’t a wrong answer. He was too emotional to even see it in the first place, even when you did offer him.

“Hmm…”

Without a warning, The Enforcer pulled up your purple shirt that was tucked inside the waistband. In a matter of seconds, the hand that was separate from your back with a thin cloth now came in bare contact. It startled, the chilly fingertips on your warm skin. The contrast was too much to handle. Too vulnerable all at once. Resisting but failed, as her palm stuck like glue to the side of your waist, before moving in a rhyme, like a soothing river.

”Woah, what are you doing??” You jumped back a notch.

“Relax, I’m not gonna scratch it.” Seraph leaned in and muttered. “ I just want to see where the scars start from.”

”Well, you could ask me. I’ll show you.”

You wanted to pull back immediately, for the anxiety inside rising. Nonetheless, there was another part screaming you to stay put. As the heartbeat kept beating faster,you questioned if it was out of fear or something else.

“I want to feel them.” She responded calmly, with her brows furrowed, concentrating on the other sense. The hand moving inside one of the old whip-slash scar, making it way from the bottom up to your left shoulder. “This one is big…It must have been painful for you.”

”It was at times.” You prayed for her obliviousness to the fast beating heart. Looking towards the door, you hoped no one would barge in. “Wouldn’t they be done with the prep by now?”

”Maybe.” Seraph ignored your attempt to distract her from touching your scars. On the contrary, she kept going at it. “They’ll tell me when it’s ready.”

You groaned quietly, feeling the face heated up from this upcoming embarrassment.

”I mean as nice as it felt, I really don’t feel comfortable doing it here.” The awkwardness inside you was slipping. You knew it was.

”Doing what? This?” The Enforcer did a swift tight of her fingers around your waist. Not once did she break contact with the skin. “Didn’t you say I was touch-starved before?”

You left out a visible eye roll and a heavy sigh, but gave up on doing anything else to stop Seraph. She just used your own words against you. What else could you do about it? Defeated, you pulled out the papers underneath your arm.

”If anyone caught us like this, I will kill you and then myself.” You leaned onto her side, reading off the words from the paper.

”Noted.” The woman curved a mischievous smirk at you, before trailing her attention down to the report on your hands again.


End file.
